North Dakota license plate lookup

What the North Dakota plate search returns

Pick North Dakota, enter the plate, and we show the VIN, the year, make, model and engine it decodes to, and any open safety recalls. The plate data comes from a commercial vehicle-data provider, not from the state. You can order history reports on that VIN from the same page.

We never show the owner’s name or address. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721) limits what state motor vehicle departments may release, and North Dakota applies its own version in N.D.C.C. 39-33-05.

Who issues plates and titles in North Dakota

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) Motor Vehicle Division issues titles, registrations and plates. Under N.D.C.C. § 39-04-11 a car needs two plates, one on the front and one on the rear; motorcycles and trailers carry one, on the rear.

Owners must remove the plates whenever a vehicle is sold or transferred, and the car is then considered unlicensed. A buyer can drive it for up to five days with dated proof of ownership such as a dated bill of sale, or use a 30-day self-issuing temporary permit printed on the back of the seller’s registration card. A dealer or NDDOT temporary permit goes in the rear window, the rearmost driver’s side window or where the rear plate would be.

Requesting a vehicle record from NDDOT

Vehicle records are requested on SFN 51269, Request for Vehicle Information, sent to the Motor Vehicle Division in Bismarck with a copy of your photo ID. The form lists a fee of $3 per vehicle, $3 per search when no record is found and $25 an hour for extensive research. To get personal information about another person, you complete section C and initial each exception you qualify for, such as government use, insurance claims, court proceedings or notice to the owner of a towed vehicle.

North Dakota salvage and “previously salvaged” titles

When a vehicle is damaged by more than 75 percent of its retail value, the owner must send the title to NDDOT within ten days for a salvage certificate of title. Glass and hail damage don’t count toward that figure. Once the car is reconstructed, a regular title can be issued, but it and every later title carry the words “previously salvaged” and a note that damage disclosure information is available from the department. The required certificate of inspection must come from a registered repair business other than the one that rebuilt the car.

NDDOT also won’t title a car arriving on an out-of-state title marked scrap, parts-only, junk, unrepairable, nonrebuildable or similar.

Before you buy a car with North Dakota plates

• Check the VIN on the dash and door against the title and our lookup; the VIN decoder confirms the year and model.
• Read the title for “previously salvaged”. Hail damage doesn’t count toward the salvage threshold, so look over the body yourself.
• Run a salvage title check for brands from other states and an odometer rollback check on the mileage.
• Get a dated bill of sale so you can drive the car legally after the seller takes the plates.